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Iran bowed to international pressure to end its nuclear programme four years ago but may still be able to develop weapons, intelligence officials said.

The claim, by the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, is a dramatic U-turn on findings two years ago which said Tehran had refused to cease its nuclear programme.

But it warned that the state had continued to enrich uranium which could allow it to develop nuclear weapons between 2010 and 2015.

The report said: ‘Tehran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons programme suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005.’ Officials claim it is proof that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was susceptible to diplomatic demands.

One said: ‘This is good news in that the US policy coupled with the policies and actions of those who have been our partners appear to have had some success.

‘Iran seems to have been pressured. Given that good news, we don’t want to relax.’ But US national security adviser Stephen Hadley said it showed the threat from Tehran was a ‘serious’ problem and urged the international community to ensure the world would ‘never have to face a nuclear armed Iran’.